[Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones

[Grant Spangler]

John,

Major department stores and 'hypermarts' are abundant in gateway cities .. Paris, Madrid, and the lot. Hypermarts like E LeClerc, Carrefour, El Corte Inglés, Hipercor, and others have mobile phones, pay-as-you-go SIMs, and the ability to recharge a SIM. Look for a France Telecom retail store if you'll be in France for a while, they have the Orange brand of mobiles. Look for a MoviStar store in Spain, they are the mobile side of Telefonica, the Spanish national phone company. There will also be numerous small storefronts who carry all the local brands. I'd stick with a major carrier like Orange or MoviStar, since their systems are much larger with wider coverage. We walk through a good deal of non-urban areas. This may seem like an obvious statement, but there are more than a few small carriers who provide good coverage in large cities, and next to none out in the country. Tell the clerk you're a pilgrim, need outback coverage, and have been recommended a certain brand. Get his feedback, but remember they are financially driven. 

Tim is in St Jean Pied de Port, I'd be interested in his observations and first-hand experience. Tim: what's the perceived coverage like with different carriers over the Route Napoleon? I'd anticipate several carriers will do fine on the road route, but one may prove superior on the Route Napoleon..  


Buen Camino, 
 
 
Grant
 
http://www.ElCaminoSantiago.com
Resources for the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago